Moving out

I'm planning on moving out of my parents' house in the next month (renting a flat on my own) or so and am looking for first-hand experiences/answers to the following:

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How long did it take to secure the property (from initial research to actually moving in)?

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If you moved to another city/town, did you secure the property first or a new job?*

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Roughly how much did you spend in your first month (moving out costs, transport, initial rent/admin fees, etc.)?

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What percentage of your monthly salary goes on rent?

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Does the letting agent give you all the information needed to set up utilities (if not, where did you get your information)? Were these already included?

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Are there any useful websites/resources that you would recommend?

This is my first time apart from university, so I don't really know what I'm doing...

*I've been reading a lot of conflicting advice about this. I presume I'll be able to secure a job faster than I can secure a flat, so I'm leaning towards getting a flat first.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

SerotoninAddict

Original post by saywhatm8

I'm planning on moving out of my parents' house in the next month (renting a flat on my own) or so and am looking for first-hand experiences/answers to the following:

•

How long did it take to secure the property (from initial research to actually moving in)?

•

If you moved to another city/town, did you secure the property first or a new job?*

•

Roughly how much did you spend in your first month (moving out costs, transport, initial rent/admin fees, etc.)?

•

What percentage of your monthly salary goes on rent?

•

Does the letting agent give you all the information needed to set up utilities (if not, where did you get your information)? Were these already included?

•

Are there any useful websites/resources that you would recommend?

I got a job before I found a flat, but they were really understanding that I needed to find a place first before I could start. I ended up signing the tenancy agreement within two weeks of getting the job. Although I didn't end up starting work or moving in until 4/5 weeks after being offered the job.

My first month was really expensive because I paid for the first 6 months rent upfront because that was quicker than getting referenced sorted etc. I also had to pay the deposit and letting agents fee

My rent is about 45% of my salary I think, which I know is a lot, but it's really great value for money I think, and I'm also so close to everything that I can just walk everywhere so I save money on transport/don't need a car. It's also a modern flat so the utility bills are low and I still have enough money that I'm managing to save a good amount each month so that's good :smile:

The letting agents did say they would transfer all the utilities over to my name for me, but I ended up having to do the gas and electric myself but it was no big problem because we took the meter readings the day I moved in so knew exactly how much I owed.

In terms of websites, I was just on rightmove daily checking for new places :p: